The present invention relates to the retaining of lubricant in gear cases and more particularly to retaining lubricant in traction motor gear cases such as found on diesel and electric locomotives and generally shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,710,646, and, while not limited to these applications, will be described in that connection here.
Gear cases of this type include a pair of matable sections which are used to enclose the gears used in driving locomotive wheels.
Because of the critical nature of the gear case, it is important to retain lubricant in the case and keep dirt, brakeshoe dust, water and other contaminants out. However, up to this time, it has been difficult to retain lubricants because of the many variables involved such as the lateral movement of the locomotive axle relative to the traction motor gear case, because of the extreme vibration transmitted through the gears and wheels, and because of dimensional variations in gear cases due to manufacturing tolerances and service abuse.